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 John Green - Al Hodgson - Bob Gimlin It’s almost been a month since “The Sasquatch Summit – a Tribute to John Green,” which was held in Harrison Hot Springs, British Columbia. For the first few weeks, we were caught up in the flood of photos, videos, and reviews we posted after the event. Now that everything is caught up and we’ve settled back into our daily routines I thought it would be a good idea to organize the numerous videos and photos that Believe It Tour made available.
We have a YouTube playlist of all the speakers from the event. The list includes Dr. Jon Bindernagel, Dr. Jeff Meldrum, John Green, Thomas Steenburg, Christopher Murphy, Loren Coleman, and Igor Burtsev. » View Sasquatch Summit Videos
We also have a flickr set from the weekend as well. » View Sasquatch Summit Photos
 Bigfoot Sighting at Sasquatch! The name Sasquatch! is a little misleading to Bigfoot fans for an event since it’s actually the name of a music festival and not something related to the world of cryptozoology. Started in 2002, the event has now grown to become one of the best indie music festivals in the country.
As Sasquatch! takes place in the state of Washington I’ve used this as an excuse to travel back out west to satisfy two of my favorite hobbies, Bigfoot research and great live music. Typically, I would fly out to Seattle, rent an SUV, and head into the mountains. As I had packed a tent for the music festival I’d first spend a few days in the woods searching for tracks or other signs of evidence of Bigfoot before heading to the music festival. A few of the trips also included a visit to a small Bigfoot museum and a Sasquatch Symposium.
In the beginning, Sasquatch! was only a one-day event, but it’s now expanded into a three-day weekend festival. Located in the middle of Washington, at the Gorge Amphitheater, most of the attendees stay in the large campground adjacent to the Amphitheater. Making friends was easy as tents were lined up side by side. When asked why I traveled so far to the event, I’d share my stories of searching for Bigfoot. This usually sparked conversations of sightings and stories that my new friends had from growing up in the Pacific Northwest.
In fact, in 2008, when I began Beleive It Tour, I had the idea of documenting some of the stories at the music festival as part of our trip. Once the show was over we then continued on to our other destinations across the country. That just goes to show you that wherever you go there are fascinating stories to discover and share.
I missed going to Sasquatch! last year, but I’m eagerly awaiting the announcement this weekend of the 2011 lineup announcement. I’m hoping the news will be a reason to find my way back to Sasquatch!
 Patterson-Gimlin Film Site Cast “Bigfoot: The Definitive Guide” aired last night on the History Channel. Of course, I had to watch it. Being a bigfoot researcher since the early 90′s and having many friends in the bigfoot community, I was curious what others in the field thought about this show.
After the show ended I sent out the question to see what kind of responses Believe It Tour would get back. There was also a good bit of chatter on many of the facebook pages frequented by bigfoot fans. For the most part the comments all tended to be the same. Many people agreed that the production level was very well done, but the show only served as a new package for the same standard information.
While weeding through the comments there were a few other points that came up often. One particular observation was the lack of mentioning Bob Gimlin. A strange omission due to the fact the Patterson-Gimlin film was such a big part of the show.
However, the experts in the field can be the toughest critics as know all the details of their subject, so it can be a challenge to find something new with a topic they know so well. Maybe the best thing to do is to step back and view it with a new set of eyes. To see it the way a majority of the viewers had. Having more shows like this, with a high level of professionalism, will benefit the bigfoot community in the long run even if the subject matter is well known.
Please share your thoughts on “Bigfoot: The Definitive Guide.” Thumbs up or thumbs down?
 Good morning Believe Its. After a long day of driving, dodging the worst of Hurricane Earl, and then getting the news that 2008 tour crew members, Tracy and Ed Northby, had a baby boy yesterday (congratulations Tracy and Ed), I’m excited to get started with today’s adventure into the Okefenokee Swamp.
This year the theme of the tour is “Quest for Eternal Youth,” which follows in the spirit of renowned explorer Ponce de Leon and it’s going to be jam packed with lots exciting adventures. Along the way we’ll be talking with local experts, shooting lots of video, and taking loads of photos. For links and feeds from all the places we will be sharing information on, just bookmark our portal page.
Those of you that know me know that I’m not a person that can sit still for long. Plus knowing there’s a creature named the Georgia Pigman, lurking just out my door, I’m wondering why I’m still sitting here on the laptop writing and not out there searching for stories and evidence.
However, before I head out to door I just wanted to take a moment to say good morning and I hope all of you will join us for the journey in the coming weeks. I also look forward to reading your thoughts and comments, so feel free to post those here.
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 The Bigfoot Surplus logo design incorporates the profile of Patty from frame 352 of the Patterson-Gimlin Bigfoot Film inside a star. Even weeks after the Ohio Bigfoot Conference is over, I have to admit that I’m still blown away by what I saw there. It wasn’t a true Bigfoot sighting, but as an artist the type of Bigfoot sighting I did have was certainly a highlight.
While standing at the table next to the Believe It Tour display, I noticed the commotion over a guy that was showing off his tattoo. Turns out he had a fairly large Bigfoot Surplus (a Believe It Tour Company) logo tattooed on his arm. It looked great.
The image, which originated in the 90′s, is now going to be around for at least the rest of “his” life. I immediately went over to thank him and tell him what a great feeling it was to have someone like my art enough to have it actually tattooed on them. Then all I could do at that point was give him a pile of stickers and one of our new t-shirts. A mere gesture for his commitment, but how can you really top that?
 Sasquatch! Music Festival and Bigfoot Country Here’s some more proof that time really does fly. For several years in a row, on Memorial Day, I would travel out to Washington State to get a fix of two of my interests, music and Bigfoot. Typically, I would fly into Seattle, pick up an SUV, and head for the mountains. With the goal of dropping back down to the Columbia River Gorge, in central Washington, to attend the Sasquatch Music Festival.
On one particular year I really lucked out and was also able to attend a Bigfoot Conference. I had a table for Bigfoot Surplus at the conference since Believe It Tour hadn’t been started yet. It was the first time I met Bob Gimlin, the man who was with Roger Patterson when they captured the famous film of Bigfoot in 1967. I also became friends with Tom Yamarone, who you may know from his Bigfoot songs. My old friend Brad Pennock, who has since been on some Believe It Tour adventures, even came up to Washington from San Diego to travel along. I look back now and realize this was the early stage of Believe It Tour. In honor of this, the first official Believe It Tour kicked off at the Sasquatch Music Festival a few years later as a symbolic first step for the Tour.
Typically, the trips were not always as social as that one year. Packing my camping gear, I’d usually find remote spots to get in some Bigfoot research and to just simply enjoy nature. I was always learning what I could about the Pacific Northwest and I’d follow up on any cryptid sightings that I’d hear about while talking with the locals.
The camping gear also came in handy as the Sasquatch Music Festival grew into a weekend long event. For music fans the line-up of bands, playing at one of the most beautiful venues in the United States, is definitely worth the trip. For me, it was a way to really enjoy life.
It’s now been two years since my last trip to the Sasquatch Music Festival and the start of what has become far more than an unusual and unique road trip. Believe It Tour celebrates the concept of exploring life like all of us did as children and takes adventures outside the limitations of everyday life.
 Weeki Wachee Mermaid Ashley B Spring is in the air and I’m hearing families talk about trips to the south, along with all the spring break buzz, which reminds me of Florida. Having lived there, traveled there on the 2008 Believe It Tour, and visiting grandparents for many years as I child, Florida is one spot I consider home. That could be the reason people ask me what they should do or where they should go when they visit Florida on vacation. The challenge is not coming up with an itinerary of suggested stops, but figuring out what they might enjoy the most as there are so many different levels and types of excursions to be had.
All of the stops could take pages to list. However, there’s one place in particular that was part of the 2008 Tour that I do get questioned about more than you’d think. No, it’s not Disney World or Gatorland Zoo. It’s the Weeki Wachee Mermaids of Weeki Wachee Springs. Yes, the “only city of live mermaids” where even the mayor was a Mermaid.
According to the Weeki Wachee Springs State Park site it was the Seminole Indians that named the spring “Weeki Wachee,” which means “little spring” or “winding river.” The spring is so deep that the bottom has never been found and it has more than 117 million gallons of clear, fresh 72-degree water surging up from subterranean caverns.
The history of the shows in Weeki Wachee Springs dates back to 1947 when the mermaids performed at the underwater theater. In the 1950′s Weeki Wachee was one of the country’s most popular tourist stops. Then when ABC purchased the spring in 1959, Weeki Wachee and the mermaid shows were taken to a new level. Bringing in half a million people per year to watch the Weeki Wachee mermaids. Including the King himself, Elvis Presley.
Weeki Wachee Springs remains a wonderful family experience where visitors can pose with mermaids or swim in the spring at the Buccaneer Bay area of the park. Children can even attend the summer Mermaid Camp and fulfill their dreams of becoming a little mermaid or a merman.
What a great way to allow children to believe in the magic of the Weeki Wachee Mermaids and escape the Florida heat.
The legendary sea monster, known as the Kraken, is not limited in film to just the Clash of the Titans. You may also recall hearing about the Kraken in the Pirates of the Caribbean series, when Davy Jones summons the creature from the depths to destroy enemy ships. Supposedly, the Kraken in Dead Man’s Chest was the first CGI rendered Kraken. Much different from the classic stop-motion animation Kraken created by Ray Harryhausen as noted in a previous post in our series.
As we all know, films are art and art allows for creative license. Add the mysterious powers of a legend like the Kraken and you can imagine the leeway a filmmaker has. Originating in Scandinavian lore, this titanic monster was believed to live off the coasts of Norway and Iceland. The word Kraken is a form of krake, which is Scandinavian for unhealthy animal. While in German, Krake is defined as an octopus. Perhaps created as a result of giant squid sightings, stories tell of the Kraken being mistaken for small islands in the sea.
These definitions fit most of the historic illustrations one would find while researching the creature. Yet when it comes to film you get a better idea of why I mentioned creative license. In Pirates of the Caribbean the Kraken is more of a pirate with a beard and face of squid-like tentacles. In the 1981 version of Clash of the Titans I would describe it as a aquatic King Kong with some extra arms. For the 2010 remake, I’m not sure how to describe the creature, but I can say it does have a lot of teeth. Maybe Kraken could share a few of those with the Stygian Sisters).
 Believe It Tour Released the Kraken Feeling the need for creative license myself, I have taken the liberty to offer Believe It Tour my own interpretation of this fierce, yet lovable, monster they call the Kraken. Now showing on a t-shirt near you!
» View Believe It Tour’s Kraken merch.
The new movie Clash of the Titans is packed with some of the most prominent characters in Greek mythology like Zeus, Perseus, Hades, and the Kraken. However, three that I’m looking forward to seeing are the the Stygian Witches. Now this is what they’re called in the movie, but in classic mythology they are known as the Graeae. This intriguing bunch of women are three sisters that are known to be good at sharing, which is key since they share one eye and one tooth between the three of them. I don’t even want to think about the logistics involved with that particular sibling situation.
The three sisters were ancient sea demons and were the physical manifestations of white sea foam. That’s why the three had whitish grey hair, which was symbolic of the sea foam. The siblings were known as Deino, Enyo, and Pemphredo. The translation of the three names are Dread, Horror, and Alarm. There is also some debate as to what they looked like as some accounts say they were breathtakingly beautiful, but some say they were old hags.
The role in the folklore tales is that Perseus met the Graeae while trying to find Medusa, who was one of the Gorgon sisters. He took the sisters eye and used it to get them to tell him where the Gorgons were. Some stories say the three sisters were guards for Medusa and her sisters. Perseus promised the sisters he would return the eye in exchange for the requested information. However, after they told him where the Gorgons were, Perseus dishonored his promise and threw their eye into a lake. You may also remember that Perseus was the one to procure Medusa’s head as a trophy after finding her.
I’m curious how the the Stygian Witches or Graeae will be portrayed in the Clash of the Titans movie. Will they be shown as frightening old sea hags that deserved what Perseus did or beautiful sea nymphs that earn our sympathy? Let us here at Believe It Tour know what you think.
Stay tuned for the next article in our series.
I remember being 10 years old and getting an amazing book on Greek mythology for my birthday. It was called Gods and Heroes by Gustav Schwab and I was fascinated from the moment I read the first story. One of the many characters in the book was Medusa. She was only briefly mentioned, but I was curious about this fierce creature.
Most people hear the name Medusa and think of a frightening women with snakes writhing around her head. Also one wrong glance from Medusa was enough to turn the most ferocious warrior into a chunk of stone. She was definitely not a woman to be toyed with and this fact is something movie producers have been happy to take dramatic license with.
The name Medusa means protector and guardian. She was a gorgon, which is a ruthlessly brutal female creature typically of the underworld. Most people are familiar with Medusa, but may not know she had two sisters that were also gorgons and immortal. That’s where things went wrong for Medusa – she had the misfortune to be mortal. Due to this she ended up losing her head in a meeting with Perseus, the son of Zeus. I always felt a little sorry for Medusa since she seemed like such a tragic and unhappy character.
Medusa has been a fascinating, yet terrifying, character in many books and movies over the years. The most recent movie to feature her will be the 2010 version of Clash of the Titans. Movie audiences around the world will soon be treated to another glimpse of Medusa. I wonder what audiences that remember the original Ray Harryhaussen Clash of the Titans will think of the new movie? I also wonder what new audiences, that have never seen the classic version, will think when they see Medusa on the big screen? The folks at Believe It Tour can’t wait to hear what you think.
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